The tale of a Paladin
by kotetamer
Summary: The story of a Paladin's struggle to survive and face diablo. Based on a Paladin's POV from Diablo 2
1. Default Chapter

Okay this is my first story on FF.net, and I would hope all would be kind with reviews and such. I donÕt own Diablo or any of its characters. This is a story based on paladins POV and starts off in Diablo 2 in the rouge encampment. It is rated pg-13 for violence and some language, and that rating may increase in the future. 

Chapter 1 

The Den of Evil

A dreary rain washes over the leather armor I poses and runs down into my boots as I walk across the plain to the rouge encampment. I see the light of a fire and it brings comfort to me as I step through the mud and grass and make my way there. My sword is held in my hand, and I clench it tightly, making sure to have it at my ready when I need so. My shield is tied to my left arm by leather straps; it is beaten due to the many blows it has taken in the past few hours. 

I carry my stash, a wooden chest behind me. It contains a few items and a small amount of gold in it. Among the various items in it are food, a small tent, potions, and my journal, which I write in every day. My pace is slow, it is cold and my body is soaked from the rain that has been unrelenting for the past few hours. I am but a few yards from the camp and I put my hand to my chest and make sure that my cross is still there. It is a silver cross with a sapphire tablet in the center. It is of little value to a trader, but to me it mean more it was my fathers.

I finally cross through the gate of the camp and am greeted by crossbow wielding rouges. They aim their cross bows directly at my chest and for a second I fear for my life. They examine me with their eyes, I wear leather armor, have brown hair that drapes down to my shoulders, I wear a pair of green pants, I wear mud soaked boots, I have a shield on my left arm, a sword is in my right hand, and I wear a brown cloak to help me stay warm. I calmly place my sword in a small leather strap that is attached to the side of my armor. The rouges are weary of me, but finally speak.

Ò What is your name and what is your business here?Ó The rouge on my left asks. I am at first a bit still afraid for myself and put my hands in the air. 

Ò I am William, William Milfose. I come here to assist you and your fellow rouges, I am a Paladin.Ó I say calmly and with out emotion. The rouge on my left looks at me once again and then tells the other rouge to watch me. She leaves and the other rouge stares at me with her cross bow pointed at my chest. The weapon shakes in her hands, she is freezing from the conditions as she exhales and her breath is seen with great clarity in the night. I canÕt help but feel sorry for her as she is trying her best not to fall over from cold and exhaustion. Her companion appears now with another woman who is clad with armor, a cape, and a headband. She looks me over before saying anything. 

Ò Very well you shall be taken to Akara, we shall place your chest in the center of the camp with Warriv before you are to see her.Ó The woman tells me. A wave of relief washes over me and I take my chest and she starts walking. I follow her and we pass many wagons that are inhabited by rouges. The various rouges inside of the wagons are either asleep or are sitting with a blanket wrapped around them trying to stay warm. Eventually we reach the center of the camp where I see a man in a blue out fit standing next to the fire that I saw not to long ago. 

Ò Warriv, can you watch this mans stuff while I take him to see Akara?Ó The woman asks. The man Warriv simply nods and lets the warm orange glow of the fire engulf him. He places his hands in front of him and had it not been for the fact that I was to meet some one of great importance I would have stayed by the fire with him and warmed my self up. I dropped my chest next to a wagon that appeared to be WarrivÕs. As I turned to face the woman she was already walking in the opposite direction. I had to give her a lot of credit; she was out here in only a small amount of armor and wasnÕt appearing to even shake under the conditions of the weather. We were finally approaching a area that was surrounded by a stone wall and had the top of a tent poking out over the edges of itÕs stone barrier. I follow the woman through the entryway and see another woman whom stands in a purple dress with a purple cloak and a purple headband. She appears to be a woman in her later years; her face is draped with the experience and wrinkles of one whom has dealt with much tragedy. The woman who has escorted me all this way breaks the silence.

Ò Akara, this man claims that he is a Paladin whom has come to assist us. Would you please offer your guidance on this?Ó The woman asks. Akara as I am well aware of her name now stands infront of me and places her hand on my chest. She seems to concentrate for a few moments and I am weary of what is going on. Finally she pulls her hand away and smiles back at me. 

Ò Kashya, this man tells the truth he is a Paladin whom has come to assist us.Ó Akara says to the woman next to me whom I now know as Kashya. Another wave of relief washes over me as Akara examines me over like the other rouges have. She turns to Kashya and gives her a hand signal to leave us. I am a bit nervous about the silence, but she breaks it.

Ò You have come at a time in which we most need you noble Paladin. Our monastery has become a place from which the queen of demons Andariel has decided to make her home.Ó Akara then turns away from me and paces in the other direction before continuing. 

Ò Andariel is the one whom has taken the dead from their graves and unleashed them on our people. Andariel is the one whom has brought forth demons of horrible destruction and set them free across our lands. Andariel is the one who must be defeated if we ever hope to live in our ancestral home again.Ó She stands still and I am at a loss of words. She then turns to me and speaks once again. 

Ò In your current form you are to weak to face one of such evil as Andariel, you must first help us with some other matters and then you shall face the queen of all demons.Ó She says to me. She looks to the sky above as rain falls and lighting clashes. 

Ò I believe this weather is being caused due to the amount of demons and undead in the area. If it is to let up the strong hold of the demons and undead must be cleansed.Ó She tells me. I nod before responding back.

Ò Where is this strong hold of demons and undead?Ó I ask. She smiles once again and I can tell she is pleased with my response. 

Ò It is in the blood moor just south of here. Before you go I suggest you rest and have our black smith repair your shield and sword.Ó She tells me. I nod and excuse myself to the outside of her tent area and come to meet Kashya again. She leans against the stonewall surrounding AkaraÕs tent and stares down at the mud beneath her feet. She turns to me and gives me a proper introduction of her own behalf. 

Ò Listen, Akara may be our spiritual leader but I am the one whom leads the rouge scouts and the one whom has made sure that no demons or members of the undead breach the gates.Ó She told me before walking away. She made sure that I knew of her power and the power the commanded. She may have done so because she was the leader of a strong group of warriors yet was forced from her home. She may have felt some resentment about the fact that she could do nothing and about Andariel and still couldnÕt. I walked towards the fire once again and went to Warriv to question him about the black smithÕs location. He continued to warm himself by the fire as I had left him before. I lightly tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. 

Ò Excuse me.Ó I said to him. He turned to me his eyes looked tired, his face looked worn, his experiences here had not been pleasant. Yet still he had an expression on his face of a very positive attitude. 

Ò Well, I am not surprised to see your kind here stranger. These parts are now crawling with demons and undead and I am guessing that there are many like you who come this way to help us. My name is Warriv, and I am a traveler whose way to the east is blocked by these creatures.Ó He told me. He was so full of hope and passion that many strong warriors would thwart this demonic presence. I could not bear to tell him that out of my entire squad I was the only one to come this way after hearing news of dark forces in the area. The fact also remained that I did not see any others going in my direction, but in the opposite. 

Ò It would be best if you were to stay away from those parts up ahead noble Paladin, they are full of horrible creatures and dangerous obstacles.Ó Warned the driver of the wagon, which brought me to edge of the plain that lead here. The driver turned his wagon around and was gone within a few seconds. I had wandered those plains for days before coming to this encampment. In those days I had encountered the undead and demons alike in many battles. Still as I stood there I decided to brave a smile and give the man comfort in the fact that I was there and was more than happy to help. 

Ò I am William Milfose a Paladin, who has come to assist the rouges in any way I can. I wonder if you could show me the way to the black smith in this camp?Ó I ask. He nods and instructs me to follow him. I do so and on the way to the black smith I notice a small bit of ground with two blue flames on it. I am curious and question Warriv.

ÒThat is called a waypoint, a enchanted piece of land. All one has to do is stand on it and think of a place where another waypoint exist and one will be there in the blink of an eye. They are located in various places among the rouges area.Ó Warriv told me, I needed to remember what he said for later. We continued to walk and soon we arrived at an area where a young woman pounded down her hammer on a sword that was red from the heat of a stove that it was just in. 

Ò Charsi, this noble Paladin is new in camp and needs his shield and sword repaired.Ó Warriv told the black smith, whose name I now know as Charsi. She placed the sword on her workbench and looked up at me. She had sweat on her forehead and her hair, which was disarranged, stuck to her face obscuring her vision. She lightly brushed her hair out of her face before coming over to me, and examining my shield and sword. She removed my shield from my arm and took my sword from its resting place. 

Ò This will only take a moment, IÕm Charsi the black smith here in camp by the way.Ó She tells me. She takes her tools and goes to work on my equipment immediately. Warriv took this time to give me a few things before I was to leave. 

Ò William you better take these items with you, they can come in handy.Ó He told me before handing me two scrolls, one red and one blue, and two bottles of liquid, with one liquid red and another blue. I had never seen these items before and they interested me. 

Ò The red potion will heal all of your wounds, while the blue will replenish your spiritual energy or mana as it is often referred to. When the seal on the red scroll is broken simply place it on an item that glows a soft blue and the scroll will identify that items magical properties. When the seal of a blue scroll is broken it will create a portal through which only those pure in heart can cross though.Ó Warriv told me before I asked him. I nodded and placed the items in a small bag that I carry attached to my belt. By time all of this was said and done Charsi had finished repairing my shield and sword. I reattached my shield and held my sword once again. They both appeared to have more strength than they did before and so I headed towards the south gate. When I got there I saw two rouges guarding it as well. I headed past them and was soon inside of the blood moor. 

I walked through the mud and rain encountering a few demons and zombies along the way, which fell victim to my sword. I followed the road as best as I could, with there being a veil of darkness it was not easy. However soon I saw a small torch at the entrance to a cave. The cave entry was painted with the blood and flesh of dead rouges. I grabbed the torch and headed into the den of evil.

As I entered the smell of flesh, blood, and death filled the air. This had to be home to the purest evil I had yet to encounter. I walked with the torch in my hand slowly as the orange flame danced along the walls floor and ceiling. Soon I heard the moans of the undead as they approached hungry for my flesh. I took my sword in my hand, my heart pounding rapidly and swung the blade through them. One by one zombies came and the all fell within moments to the ferocity of my blade. Although I was winning this battle it was taking its toll on me, as I grew ever more tired. When the corpses of the undead lay piled at my feet in a bumbled heap and my sword dripped from their blood I was exhausted, yet I continued on. I walked slowly as to preserve my strength and soon found myself in the company of a pack of small demons. Their necks were lined with various bones and they carried shields and swords of low quality. Their weapons made little difference as five if them were at my feet dead within moments. I turned when I heard mumbling and found a bigger demon holding a staff and launching a fireball in my direction. 

I quickly jumped out of the way only to find that the fireball hit a small demon, which I had just killed and brought its motionless body back to life. I could barley believe my eyes as the larger demon continued to do resurrect itÕs demon brethren. I hurled myself towards the larger demon and smited it with my shield. It fell to the ground stunned and my sword penetrated its body to make sure that it would not get back up. Soon the demons I had once killed laid once again dead at my feet. I continued my walk through this cave as I heard the moans of a single Zombie. I soon found it and saw that it was unlike the others and glowed blue a small amount. A single zombie should have been no trouble; even in my current state I was sure I could bring him down. 

As I approached the zombie it was quick to my presence and knocked me back feet with a blow from his arm. I hit the cave wall and my sword was now several feet away on the ground. I looked up and saw the zombie almost on top of me. He swung his arm again and this time my shield took the force of the blow only to shatter. I was now doomed, there was no way I could reach my sword and with my shield gone I was defenseless.

The Zombie pulled his arm back in the air and I closed my eyes in fear. After a few seconds I realized the blow hadnÕt come. I looked and saw a rather large man hacking away at the zombie with his axe. I turn me head towards some noise and see another man dressed in animal clothing handing me my sword. Within moments the zombie is dead and the den is now cleansed. As I stand to thank my saviors I look up through one of the holes in the ceiling and see streaks of day shining in.

Another chapter will be added soon. Thanks for all reviews I get.


	2. the betrayal of a sister

Okay, once again I do not own Diablo, Diablo 2, or Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction. Here is chapter two.

Chapter 2

The Betrayal of a sister

As I stood my body weakened from the previous battles with those who spawn from the depths of hell the one who handed me my sword gave me support by putting my arm around his neck.

" Zaku, is the creature dead?" Asked the one who is clothed in animal furs to the strong and powerful warrior who destroyed the light blue zombie. The warrior, whose name is now known to me as Zaku turned around and noded after picking up something off the floor of the cave. The item he picked up was a shield, it glew a light blue telling me that it had magical properties.

" Here, your shield was shattered." Said Zaku as he handed the shield to me. I took it in my left hand; it was a better shield than my former buckler.

" Thank you." I tell him. He noded and took out a blue scroll. He placed his finger beside the seal and riped it. He then opened the scroll and a portal appeared before him. The portal glew blue and I looked through it to see the rouge encampment. The magic astonishes me as the warrior Zaku walked through it and appears in the rouge encampment.

" Okay, now it's our turn are you ready?" Said the one whom supports me. I noded and together we slowly walk through the portal. It was strange going through the portal, kind of like being pulled through a pool of water with out ever getting wet. When we fully crossed to the other side I felt the warmth of the sun caress my skin for the first time in two days. It was very refreshing. Zaku was walking towards Akara's tent area and the one whom supported me held on to me as we followed in pursuit. We entered Akara's area and saw that Zaku was sitting on the ground while leaning against the wall and talking to Akara.

" The Paladin had finished most of the demons and undead in the cave before we arrived. However he was so exhausted from doing so that he almost fell against a mystically empowered Zombie. George helped the Paladin while I finished the mystic zombie." Zaku told Akara as he stared up into the sky looking at the various clouds that passed by. The sun was setting and it painted yellow streaks across the encampment casting shadows when it hit the walls. It would be dark again soon, but at least I could enjoy the warmth of the sun for a small time. The one who supported me whom I now know as George walked me over to Akara; she began to instruct George and me on what to do.

" William, lay down here and I shall create a potion to ease your tiredness and heal your wounds. George you may take all of the weapons to Charsi for repair." Akara said. George nodded and laid me down on a small blanket made of animal hides. Akara disappeared into her tent by the time this was done, making my potion. George went over to Zaku and took his buckler and axe. He then turned to me and asked if I would like him to take my sword. I looked down at my weapon, it was covered in the blood of demons and the deceased, it had chips along the sides of it, and the handle had become lose. I handed it to him and thanked him for getting it repaired. Once he left the walls of the area we were in I turned to Zaku and broke the silence.

" Thank you for saving me from that creature. I am William, William Milfose, and a Paladin. I know you are a great warrior who goes by the name of Zaku, but can you tell me more about your self?" I asked him. He stared at me for a few moments, determining if he could trust me or not.

" I am Zaku, and am a member of what your people call the barbarian tribes. I came this way with George, who is a Druid to find and kill the dark wanderer whom is causing the dead to rise from the graves and demons to spew from the depths of hell." Zaku tells me, while he does this he looks up to the sky once again and looks among the clouds.

" Well it appears Zaku, that we are all trying to do the same task here. I ask, would it be alright for me to accompany you along the way?" I ask him. While I ask him this George appears in the entryway and is leaning against it. Zaku turns to his druid cousin and raises an eyebrow. George simply nods and Zaku turns back to me.

" It would be fine by us to have the company of a strong and noble warrior on our quest." Zaku says to me. I nod; it will be good to have their company on my journey. George still leaning against the entry way looked over to the shield, which still grows a slight blue.

" Are you intending on identifying that shield?" He asks me. I look down at it then reach into my pouch and retrieve the scroll that was given to me only a few hours ago. I break the red seal on the scroll and place the scroll on the shield. As soon as the paper comes into contact with the shield it glows and the shield turns to normal. I turn the scroll over and see that writing has appeared on it.

" The Shield of thorns. Thoust whom posses thy shield shall have the power to block attacks that shatter stone with more ease, thoust will also posses better speed and dexterity." The scroll reads. It is at this time that Akara comes out of her tent holding a bottle filled with purple liquid. She brought it to me and put it to my lips to drink down. The potion was rather bitter, like a glass of wine but I felt its effects already working. I straped the shield to my arm and George extended his hand to help me up. I took his hand and got on my feet, still a bit weak. Zaku was already walking towards the center of camp; George and I walked behind him. We walked through the camp, night was falling and the guards along the entrances were growing even wearier from the constant guard duty. We soon arrived by the fire and bathe in its warmth; even though the rain has left this place the cold is still present. I sat on the ground and leaned against my stash that has been placed there by Warriv. Zaku and George sat next to bags made of animal skins and cloth. No sooner had we rested than rouge ran into camp bleeding and exhausted. She stumbled and fell to the ground in front of Zaku. He bent down and picked her up, George assisted and I went to fetch Kayasha. I was starting to run towards Charsi in hopes of finding Kayasha near her. Before I had even gotten there Kayasha was running past me with incredible speed. I ran after her, as she had some how already known what was going on.

When Kayasha and I arrived back at where the rouge had come into town we found that Zaku and George had placed her inside Warriv's wagon. She lay on top of furs as George took and potion he had in his sash and placed it to her lips. She drank slowly from the bottle only nursing it at first. Kayasha got into the wagon after the potion was gone and asked George to leave her with the rouge for a few moments. George complied as he jumped out and joined Zaku and I. We waited patiently for a few minutes before Kayasha jumped out of the wagon furious about something. She walked towards us and almost yelling told us what happened.

" That was Elly, one of my rouge scouts and she has just reported to me a abomination in the monastery graveyard. It appears Andariel has corrupt Blood Raven, one of our finest rouges. She is raising our dead from the graves and is preparing an army to fight against us. One that killed three of Elly's companions whom were among the finest rouges we have. I am going to meet with Akara, and see if we can move the camp in the few hours that we have before the get here." She told us, before walking towards Akara's tent, feeling more defeated than ever. I decided that I had to do something about this.

" Kayasha wait." I yelled to her. She turned to me and with out words sighed as if saying what.

" We shall go and fight blood raven and banish her army of darkness back to the depths from which the sprang." I told her. Zaku and George looked at me but knew if I didn't say anything, one of them would. Kayasha responded to this in a way I didn't expect, she laughed.

" Paladin I try to mean no offense here, but what you are proposing is quite impossible. Blood Raven is known for her incredible archer abilities and her swiftness. That is why she was one of the rouges who went and fought Diablo in Tristram. However if you insist on trying then so be it, I will give you three hours to be back. We shall be readying the camp to be moved in the mean time." She said to us. With that she turned and continued her walk to Akara. With no words spoken between us, Zaku, George, and I all left the encampment and started to follow the mud road that the rouges had formed over time.

With darkness on us it wasn't easy to find our way, even with a road. George stopped and looked to the sky, he held up his arm and soon I heard a bird. George then took the lead of our little group as Zaku and I followed in. We walked in silence for a few moments before Zaku grabed me and pushed me down into the ground. At first I was taken back quite a bit by this, why would he do such a thing? Then as I got up I saw an arrow in a tree not to far behind me, he had indeed saved my life once more.

We all looked in the direction in which the arrow came and made out the figure of a woman leaning against the rock walls which layed out various areas in this region. She was panting and getting ready to load another arrow when the large bird I heard earlier swooped down and snatched it with its talons.

We all approached the woman, our weapons drawn and ready. As we got closer we could see that it was a rouge, one that was exhausted and wounded. When she saw us she lowered her bow and sighed in releaf, help had arrived for her. George reached his hand into his sash and withdrew a small red bottle, which he uncorked and handed to the rouge. After she drank it she began to talk and tell us what happened.

" Sorry for shooting at you, I thought you were one of those zombies or some other abomination. I'm Flavie, a rouge scout for this area. I was with Elly's group and barley managed to make it out of the graveyard." She told us, Zaku then cut in.

" Can you tell us what kind of enemies there are in this area?" He questioned. She took another swig of the potion before answering.

" Well, there are the usual demon ken and zombies, however there are also brutes, which are big beast that Andariel managed to corrupt. There are also corrupted rouges, which is more of Andariel's handy work, they have weapons, but their minds are so corrupted with hatred that they are in a constant rage. They attack with the upmost furry and it's best if you take them down before they can get to close." She told us, after this she drank the rest of the potion.

" Can you tell us how to get to the monastery graveyard?" Zaku questioned. With these words Flavie got up, took a arrow, and placed it on her bow. Before she fired it she concentrated on the arrow and then when it launched from it's rest on her bow in ignited in flames. It flew through the sky and landed a couple hundred yards away.

" Where my arrow landed, that is where the graveyard is. I shall stay here and make sure that those spawn of Andariel do not get past the cold plains. I wish you luck and hope to see you all alive again." She told us. I nodded as well as George, Zaku simply stood waiting for us.

We departed from Flavie and continued our way to the graveyard, the arrow still clearly visible. As we walked I could hear the noises of creatures in the distance, perhaps the brutes that Flavie talked about. I was disturbed from my thoughts when I felt the warmth of flame around me. I looked down and saw that two blue fires had appeared and lit a piece of land I had seen in the encampment. This was a wave point. Zaku looked back at me and walked to the wave point as well.

" George, the Paladin found the wave point for this area." Zaku yelled to George.


End file.
